


Deireadh an Domhain

by TaFuilLiom



Series: Saolré [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Apocalypse, F/F, last night on earth tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 23:48:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaFuilLiom/pseuds/TaFuilLiom
Summary: Deireadh an Domhain; DoomsdayAlex and Maggie through the eyes of their loved ones on the verge of the end of the world.





	Deireadh an Domhain

**Author's Note:**

> AU s3 where Sanvers did break up but there’s no Reign. This is also pretty close to the Earth-X stuff cause all that stuff ripples through this fic. This is how people view Maggie and Alex on the verge of the end of the world 
> 
> [All mistakes are mine. I’m so sorry, this opens on so much exposition.]

For weeks, missions ended the very same way: every suspect interrogated, no matter what the circumstances, possessed a leaflet in their original tongue. And no matter what language the leaflet read, all of them translated into the same message:

_ The Hedozian has graced Earth. He will wipe out the humans, in order to take this fertile land for his master race. Leave this planet before the solar eclipse, or die with their kind.  _

They researched their archives as thoroughly as they could, but the only answers were found in the Fortress of Solitude. The Hedozian was a creature from an advanced race, who had been banished from his planet, and sought an opportunity on Earth. He had abilities that even Kryptonians couldn’t comprehend, so Kelex informed a distressed Kara.

They sent out a deep space signal, asking for assistance from Hedoza itself, but their only help came in the form of a cryptic code:

_ We have sent a weapon to aid one of your Earth’s worthy warriors. The sign will appear on the morning of the eclipse, and they will save their land by slaying the enemy.  _

They had tackled the code again and again, trying to make more sense of it, but words are all they have by the penultimate day.

 

**_Sara_ **

She steps off of the Waverider and into chaos. 

To begin with, she comes very close to threatening Alex just to tell her where the DEO building is, nevermind letting her in. She mulls over a few choice words for the agent, but its Supergirl who greets her when she reaches the building at last. 

“Sara!” Kara announces, engulfing her in a hug. “What are you doing here?”

She pats the long black case that she has strapped to her back. “Special delivery.”

When Kara leads her down the steps into the DEO, she is greeted by the sight of a large round table, agents scurrying here and there around her. She catches one familiar figure bent over a pile of paperwork and swiping at a tablet.

“Hey, Alex.”

“Hey, Sara,” Alex says, suppressing a shy smile and returning immediately to her tablet.

After a quick scan of the other faces gathered at the centre table, she confirms that she doesn’t recognise anyone else, so she cuts to the chase and sets the black case on the DEO roundtable. Carefully, she unzips it.

“What’s that?” Alex asks, her fingers stilling on the tablet.

“A gift from the future,” she replies, throwing open the lid. 

All of the table’s attention is glued to the crimson blade in the black case. It shimmers under the lights as Sara pushes it into the middle of the table, giving the eager onlookers a better view.

“Is that a sword?” a jittering man squeaks. “Wait, is that  _ the _ weapon?!”

Alex scoffs, smacking his hand away from where it twitched forward. “Winn, it’s not a toy. You can’t play with it.”

“I didn’t-!”

“You know, when this advanced society told us they would be sending back a weapon, we were imagining something a little more...advanced,” Kara says, inching around to get a closer look.

Sara lifts the sword out of the case and hands it to Alex, who just about keeps her curiosity in check. She supervises as they pass the blade around, taking turns at inspecting it. 

“Why do you have it?” Kara asks, tilting her head when it gets round to her.

“It took too long to get here from Hedoza, what with all the lightyears. Figured you guys might need it more than we did when we found it, so I brought it back.” She nods for Kara to lay the sword back in the case. “Gideon says it’s red because it’s crafted from an alloy that our Hedozian buddy doesn’t care much for. In fact, if the chemicals in the sword are activated in the right way, it has the potential to kill him.”

“Like this guy’s version of kryptonite?” Alex suggests, tapping some information into the tablet.

“Yup,” Sara confirms. “The wielder of the sword activates its powers, and our invincible friend isn’t so invincible anymore.”

“One person has to get close enough to the Hedozian with that  _ sword _ , and slay it?” A bewildered Winn flops down at one of the computer consoles. “That’s a suicide mission.”

“At this point, it’s all a suicide mission,” an older man says gruffly, making his voice heard at last. Sara gets the feeling he’s Director Henshaw, or the J’onn that Kara gushes about. “We know that there’s going to be an army risen in the desert, and its going to march on National City. What else do we know?”

Another woman taps her foot, finally speaking; “Winn, anymore unusual activity going on in the city? Crime spike, seismic activity, water running backwards? Anything?” 

“That’s Major Lucy Lane,” Kara helpfully whispers in her ear.

Winn wheels his chair closer to the console, clicking a number of open tabs. “Nohting on any of the grid maps. I’m waiting for the NCPD liaison to get back to me-”

And then a new participant;

“Consider yourself got back to, then, Schott.”

Everyone spins to see a woman sauntering towards them from the stairs. 

“Maggie!” Kara chirps. 

Sara’s eyes slide to Alex, who is staring at the her tablet with forced concentration and a blush rising in her cheeks. She catches Lucy looking to J’onn in alarm, and then squaring up as if she’s about to ask why this woman has clearance to such a restricted organisation, but Maggie clearly senses this and beats her to the punch. 

“Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD Science Division,” she directs at Lucy, and then, “There hasn’t been a crime spike, no.”

Lucy is clearly taken aback, and Sara smirks. She likes this cop already. 

Sara had seen Agent Danvers in all her glorious action, and knew  _ Maggie _ must have been something special. Listening to a lovesick Alex on Earth-X, this is exactly the kind of woman that she had imagined. Brave, bold, leather jacket-wearing, gun-toting, and oozing sex appeal. 

“I don’t get why we’re waiting for him to come to us,” Lucy throws out in a fit of impatience.

“We have the weapon now. Why don’t we just head out to the desert now and monitor the situation from there?” Alex asks, standing up straighter.

“The alloy hasn’t been activated, so it’s useless. Rushing in right now might not be the best idea, or didn’t you listen to me the last time I gave you that advice?” 

Sara keeps her tone light and Alex, flustered, nods in acceptance. She didn’t mean it to come across as flirtatious, but since their one night stand, Alex has been flighty around her. 

Across the table, Sara spots Maggie’s shoulders stiffening.  _ Interesting.  _

“It could be anyone,” Kara muses, and then perks up. “How much chinese do you think we can order before they refuse to serve us?”

“Not on the government’s dime,” J’onn scolds, and adds, “It could be someone in this room.”

“I highly doubt that it’s someone in this room,” Alex said, rolling her eyes. “And we’re getting pizza, not chinese.”

Winn whizzes around, almost knocking the keyboard off of the desk. “What? We can’t get pizza! I  _ hate _ your toppings.”

“Priorities, people,” Lucy shouts, but then backtracks, “Actually, can we not get anything with pineapple because-”

Sara observes the dual conversations, one part bemused and one part incredulous. At one point she catches Maggie Sawyer’s glare bouncing between her and Alex, and she quirks her head as if to both display her innocence and her guilt. 

She can see the question written on Maggie’s face, but she refuses to provide the answer. 

Ambivalence is the fun of the game.

“The saviour could just mean me,” Kara says, holding her head up. “The girl of steel saving National City,  _ again _ .”

“It can’t be you,” Sara says. “The prophecy clearly says the saviour would save their own land. So that rules out any aliens.”

“The mark will appear. The sign...” J’onn rumbles, off in thought.

“We don’t even know what kinda sign we’re looking for. There’s a solar eclipse tomorrow. But what is the sign that they’re sending? A new limb? An earthquake? It could be anything,” Lucy complains, crossing her arms tight across her chest.

“A halo and wings?” Sara pipes up, earning her a dig in the ribs from Kara. She wheezes slightly, rubbing the affected area.

Maggie inches up on her toes to see over Kara’s shoulder. “Okay, tell me if I’ve heard you guys right.” She points at the case. “This sword is supposed to magically kill this powerful Hedozian?” 

Snark sharpens her words, and it draws a reaction from Alex-

“You have a better idea, Maggie?” she challenges, and then flips the cover on her tablet in frustration. She delivers the detective a hard stare. “If we need NCPD assistance, we’ll let you know.”

The table hushes. Kara shrinks away, Winn turns back and stares at his computer screen. J’onn clears his throat and walks away. 

“Are you kidding? I get sent on a scout by the DEO and get a pat on the head for effort?” Maggie shakes her head. “Screw that, I’m staying.”

Sara revels in the heat that stirs between them. Two rivals, two ex-lovers. She is fascinated by the passion play, but decides to defuse the situation before it escalates into a row.

“Well, whatever happens, we got one shot,” she explains. “And if the guy gets us first, we’re done.”

“You can just say it,” Maggie says, pushing off of the desk and wandering away, throwing back; “We’re toast.”

“Great. We’re toast,” Winn echoes, spinning in his chair. 

Sara watches the detective go into the belly of the DEO, before she leans over to whisper at Alex;

“So,  _ that’s _ Maggie?”

“Yes,” Alex mutters, gathering her files and her tablet and striding away like she can’t leave fast enough. 

 

**_James_ **

He contemplates death. He tries not to, but it’s on his mind. On everyone’s mind. 

James never really believed in the afterlife, but he also never really thought about life just ending. Granted, being a photojournalist for many years, he has seen what can come around the corner when it’s least expected. 

But now that the apocalypse is staring them all in the face, he is forced to sit and think harder about things. He stares into the dark abyss, but isn’t sure what he is supposed to take back out. 

The knock at the door startles him. 

The last person he expects to join him in his depressive cycle of thoughts is Maggie Sawyer. But he has spent the day avoiding all the lost souls in the DEO, and she is someone he’s actually glad to see.

“This is rough,” James says, by way of hello.

She leans against the doorway. “What, no hug after all this time?”

He chuckles, coming towards her and wrapping her in a tight hug. 

“You were doing your badass detective thing. Didn’t wanna cramp your style.”

Maggie sighs, relaxing against him. “I missed you,” she admits.

He nods, leaning back. “Missed you, too, Sawyer. You don’t call, you don’t text...”

She shakes him off with a laugh, and then hops up on a bench. 

“So, what’s the latest?” he asks, retaking his seat on a table. 

“We have no way of knowing who humanity’s swordsman-saviour is gonna be, we’ve basically run outta time, and we’re all gonna die,” Maggie says flippantly. “Oh, and I almost forgot. Kara, Winn and Alex are arguing over what food we should order in if this is our last meal together.”

“Dark,” James says, grinning. 

“That’s the Danvers sisters. I’m including Winn in that, by the way.”

James grips the edge of the desk and crosses one ankle over the other, looking down at the toes of his brown shoes. They had been a gift from Lucy a few years ago. He has thought about asking her to speak alone for a minute or two, but if he did, he wouldn’t know what to say to her here, at the end. No point dredging up regrets, but there is also little hope of promises for a future. So what’s left?

He focuses on the woman across from him. “How you holding up, Maggie?”

“Right now? I just told my Captain I wasn’t coming back to my desk today. Didn’t tell him I might not be there tomorrow either, but he was kinda mad either way.” She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Otherwise, I guess I’m okay. You?”

“I’m thinking about seeing my dad again. I mean, I don’t know if I believe in all that but I’d like to, y’know?” 

The confession is quiet, but he isn’t ashamed. Certainly, he trusts Maggie enough to confide in her. When he was a boy, he wanted more than anything to see his father again.  

Now, as an adult, he wonders. 

Down the corridor, he can hear boots marching back and forth, lowered voices, and an occasional bark from J’onn. He has never stayed overnight in this place, and he isn’t sure it ever stops to sleep. Maybe secret government agencies don’t sleep at all. 

“Listen, I got a question.”

It draws him out of his reverie, and he sees a twitchy Maggie. “Yeah?”

“Are Sara and Alex…?”

“Hooking up?” He tips his head. “Would you care if they are?”

“No, I just…” She says too quickly, shaking her head. “It’s none of my business.”

His face splits into a wide grin. “You don’t really mean that.”

Maggie leans her head back against the wall, letting her feet swing under the table. “I mean, I don’t feel  _ amazing _ about it, I’ll give you that.”

James understands. Tensions are already running high, a personal element would tend to tip many people over the edge. 

“As far as I can tell from what Kara has told me, it was a one time thing. So you wouldn’t be standing on any proverbial toes if you wanted to chase what you want.”

“What I want, Olsen, is to figure out who’s supposed to wield the sword and kill this Hedozian bastard.”

He laughs at the attempt to redirect the conversation. “Okay, but I’m curious. How did you work it out so fast?”

Maggie reaches down and yanks her detective badge off of her belt, chucking it to him. He misses it, and it thuds to the floor. He bends down to scoop it up, and then runs it over in his hands, tracing the logo.

“I’m convinced you people think I won this thing in a lottery,” she says with a subtle edge. 

James regrets asking; she’s sweated, grafted for that badge. Hard-working detectives have a borderline ascetic lifestyle, one that isn’t appreciated nearly enough. 

“You think this could be it tomorrow?” He joins her, perching on the edge of the bench.

Maggie blows out a long breath. “I don’t know. But I’m hoping the good guys are gonna pull through at the last minute, like always.”

He inspects the lettering embossed into the metal badge one more time, before handing it back to her. “You staying?” 

He means to add  _ for dinner _ , but he also means more, so he leaves it hanging in the air. Maggie considers it, and drops off the bench they were sharing, punching him on the shoulder.

“Yeah. Nowhere else I’d rather spend my last night on earth than with you bunch of weirdos.”

 

**_Winn_ **

After a quick barking match about dinner, he hides away. 

Everyone disperses from the main room, going off in pairs, talking in serious voices, and the niggling, selfish part of him can’t take the stress anymore, so he grabs his controllers and finds a crook for himself. He logs in on the computer, gathers his concentration, and then sits down to play his favourite games.

It’s Kara who finds him, lingering in the doorway as if she doesn’t want to disturb his makeshift den.

“Tried to convince J’onn to let me bring a Playstation in here, but it didn’t work..” He rapidly taps a button on his controller. “Anyway, I’ve got some games loaded up on this mega-computer. I have parked my butt and I do not intend to leave until I can smell pizza.”

He clicks a button to pause the game, and gives her a side glance, before producing the second controller. “Care to join me, Miss Danvers?”

She breaks into a sunny smile, pulling up a chair. “Why yes I will, Mr Schott.”

They’re two games down-

_ “Stop cheating!” _

_ “I’m not!” _

-before she finally asks him in a tiny, breathy voice.

“Are you scared?”

“Pfft? Me? Scared? I think not, lady,” he denies. 

They change games, and Kara gets engrossed in it for a while. Winn is happy to shout encouragement or insults whenever the needs arises. They pass one controller until Kara gets to grips with the gameplay, but even then, Winn is wary of her abilities. 

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Keep everyone’s spirits up,” she says quietly, not glancing away from the screen. She creases her brow when her character dies, and he can’t help but riff off of her. 

“What can I say? Having Alex, Maggie and Sara in one room is making me itchy,” he jokes. They  _ are  _ intimidating, to him, anyway.

“I’m surprised Maggie is staying.” Kara flinches, as if she can’t believe she said it, and he softens. 

“I’m not. The world ending requires three things.” He holds up three fingers and then lists; “A hero, a villain, and a pair of star crossed lovers. I think they fit the bill nicely.”

Kara snorts. “Don’t let Alex or Maggie hear you call them star-crossed lovers.”

“We could all die tomorrow. What could they do to me that’s worse than that?” He shrugs.

They play on. Kara gets increasingly frustrated when her character keeps dying at a certain level, but refuses to let Winn help her through it. When the controller creaks under the strain of her hands, he diplomatically changes the game because  _ he got bored _ \- and also doesn’t want to fork out for a new controller. 

They’re deep into a intense game of Rocket League, where Kara keeps squealing in delight-

_ “I’m on the ceiling, why am I on the ceiling?!” _

_ “This game is impossible. Just go with it.” _

-when something mournful slips through.

“You know, I feel bad about telling Alex that it was a good thing she had  _ fun _ . She was clearly in so much pain.”

He gets a glimpse of her, lost in her thoughts, and Winn thinks he wasn’t supposed to be privy to them. But he  _ has _ to know what this is about Alex Danvers having fun is about, so he runs with it.

“You’ve lost me?”

She sighs as the other team score another goal and the claxon sounds. “Well, I guess I’m only thinking about it now because…” She clicks at the buttons on her controller, taking her time to form her thought. “She was really torn up after sleeping with Sara. But I tried telling her that it was this amazing, positive thing. That of course she should get over Maggie by getting...u-under someone else.”

Winn pauses the game, looking the red-faced superhero straight in the eye. 

“Firstly, never say that again.”

“I won’t,  _ Rao. _ ”

Winn waits until he scores until he takes a deep breath and; “Secondly, Sara and Alex slept together?!”

Kara pops in her chair like a jack-in-the-box; “You didn’t know?!”

“No! I was just speculating about the tension!” Winn rolls his shoulders and tips his controller forward as the replays stop. “Now I know why things are so itchy.”

She bashes her thumbs in rapid succession as the round begins again. “Do you think Maggie will stay the whole night?”

He chews the inside of his cheek. “I think Alex and Maggie are still in love. Fear of death brings people together in body, but not necessarily in mind.” He jerks the controller, hissing as he just misses a goal.

“That was poetic.” Kara scrunches up her nose when he looks at her. “And also, that’s my sister. So gross.”

“You brought it up, missy.” 

They both cheer and high five when Kara scores. She bleats happily when they watch the slow-motion replays. Their jest is short lived- the other team scores almost immediately after the game restarts. 

“For the record,” he continues. “They’re both very much still in love, like I said, and with doomsday looming, I’d wager they’ll get it together-”

“ _ Gross!”  _ she shrieks.

“Emotionally!” he quickly clarifies, and then groans when the seconds tick down and their team loses. “Another game?”

Kara shoots him an apologetic smile. “I’m gonna go see what everyone else is up to.”

He arches forward, trying to get the crick out of his lower back. “I’ll join you in a minute.”

She hands him back the controller and stretches as she gets up. He watches the red cape swish when she moves towards the door.  

“Hey, Kara?” he blurts.

She turns, and he licks his lips. 

“I am,” he whispers. “Scared, I mean.”

She gives him a sad smile. 

“Me too.”

 

**_J’onn_ **

He hadn’t exactly enjoyed this world, but he had enjoyed the family he had found there. The sense of duty gave him purpose. 

If he possesses any common sense, he would seek a way off this planet immediately. 

But he’s too loyal. He wants to stand and fight with these people he calls family.

And yet all he has done is watch.

He spent the last week watching Alex burn herself out night after night, crashing on a cot in her lab. Watched how Kara had to prompt her to eat. To leave and walk around. Raise her head from her charts for a minute. 

Now he watches two women circling each other on the platform like wild cats. Sara grips the red sword tight in her hand, Alex’s fist clenched around another broadsword. Medieval weaponry isn’t as commonly pulled from the armoury as the heavy artillery, but it was there nonetheless, confiscated from aliens over the years.

Sara is obviously more skilled, but what Alex lacks in technical ability she makes up for sheer determination. It’s almost an even fight, metal clanging together and grunts of exertion filling the air. 

Eventually, Sara swipes her legs from underneath her, knocking her flat on her back, and although Alex groans as she hits the floor, she stutters out a laugh of surprise. And she smiles. It’s small, and brief, granted. But it’s real. 

“How have I never seen you fight with a blade before, Alex?” James asks, stepping into the training arena with Maggie in tow, watching Sara help Alex up. 

“If we all get a chance at that red sword, then I call first dibs,” Maggie claims, smirking.

J’onn watches the flash of amusement in Sara’s eyes, senses the stirrings of mischief in her thoughts. 

“Sure thing,” she says, waving Maggie up to the platform, ignoring the warning glare from Alex. “You can show her what I just showed you, Alex.” 

Maggie grins at the tone. She takes the sword and tests its weight in her hands. “So, you taught her some moves?” She shifts to face Alex, raising an eyebrow.

Sara steps back. “ _ Some. _ She’s a pretty fast learner.”

“Oh, I know,” she mumbles, sharing a look with Sara. 

Maggie shrugs off her leather jacket, throwing it to the side and squaring her shoulders. Alex takes a deep breath, shaking off the awkward reaction to Sara and Maggie’s suggestive words.

But J’onn can sense embarrassment coming off of her in droves, and he curses himself for not seeing it sooner. The fluidity with which Sara and Alex had sparred; they had obviously had some form of intimacy in the past, brief or not. And now Maggie has been thrown into the mix. 

The detective bounces on her feet. “Give it your best shot, Danvers.”

J’onn would tell Alex not to let her emotions interfere with her concentration as she fights, but this is the first distraction she has had away from the week of burnout, so he watches Maggie swing the sword around her head, the metal crashing against the broadsword. 

With no blade training, Maggie is a messier fighter than Alex, but her fire and drive give her power. Their eyes lock with a spark of competition -  _ lust heady in the blood _ ,  _ hungry for victory _ \- the gritted teeth and sweat beading on arms and temples.  

He stops watching; turns to go for his briefing with Lucy

And he smiles.

 

**_Lucy_ **

There are lighter moments as the afternoon fades into the evening, and laughs are slipping through more and more.

Lucy finishes up a briefing with J’onn, promising all DEO resources for the next day. Then she goes towards the laughter, finding everyone in Alex’s office. Some sit on the desk, some on chairs pulled from other rooms, and Kara sits on the floor, beaming up at everyone teasing each other.

For all intents and purposes, it reminds her of a family gathering.

Detective Sawyer spots her, shifting to make room for her on the desk beside James. She smiles and jumps up, and soon they’re as thick as thieves. Chatter in the room ebbs and flows, everyone enjoying the company.

“How come I’ve never met you before, Detective Sawyer? I mean I’ve heard plenty about you.”

Maggie uncaps a bottle of water, holding it towards her. “All good?”

Lucy raises an eyebrow, shaking her head at the offer. “Well…”

“Well then, it must have been all true.” She grins and swigs the water.

“I feel bad that all of earth is blissfully unaware of what could happen tomorrow.” Winn narrows his eyes at Maggie. “Wait, how did you know what was happening? I gave you zero information. I just made a few inquiries.” 

Suddenly, the room’s focus is on Maggie, who taps her fingertips against the water bottle. 

“The community knows something’s up. A lot of people I know took the warning from those pamphlets and left in the mass exodus last week.” Maggie looks down as she fiddles with the top of the bottle. “Some of them even offered to take me.”

_ But you stayed _ . Lucy sees the struggle in the lines on Maggie’s profile. She could have escaped all this, but she stayed to see it through. She meets James’ gaze over the top of her head, and he doesn’t seem surprised.  _ So she’s not a coward. Good to know. _

People pick up the threads of their conversations again, but Lucy notices that Maggie stays quiet, listening to those around her instead of leading much discussion herself. She catches one, two, three glances in Alex’s direction, each time missing the returning look that Alex sneaks back. 

She knew about their relationship, heard every update from a bubbly Kara until there were no updates anymore. A melancholy shudders over her each time she catches those stolen glances. Clearly, while they may have broken off an engagement, something powerful remains.  

It occurs to Lucy that they may go to their graves tomorrow pining for each other, and she balls her hands into fists at the intrusive thought. 

The conversations meld back into one when the topic of dinner comes up. 

“Pineapple belongs on pizza, this is not up for discussion,” Kara laments. 

“Don’t make me go get the kryptonite suit,” James jibes.

They all toss money into the centre of Alex’s office, laughing and joking about how the night before the end of the world is not the time to be tight with cash. Maggie ribs her lightly, nodding at the pile with a smirk, and Lucy relents, adding another ten dollars to the pile.

“Enough shop talk. Let’s get personal,” Winn says, with devilish glee, receiving a unanimous blank stare in response. “What? We could die tomorrow. I don’t even know your favourite movies.”

“What’s  _ your _ favourite movie?” Sara counters, looking pointedly at Winn. 

Maggie snickers, uncapping the water. Lucy rolls her eyes. “Okay. I’ll ask first. What was your first time like?” 

“Which one?” Alex and Sara both answer, and Maggie chokes on her drink. Lucy’s curiosity lights up at the slip, but before she can follow it up, Kara puts her hands over her ears, jumping to her feet. 

“I’m leaving if we’re talking about this.”

“Me too,” Alex mumbles, mortified at the knee-jerk reaction.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be shy about, Alex,” Sara purrs, causing Maggie’s stare to snap to her. Lucy almost feels the table vibrate with tension underneath them. 

Winn fidgets. “This wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said personal. I meant general, not  _ personal _ .”

“I’m going to go get the pizzas,” Kara mutters, scooping up the money and the order.

“I’m helping,” Alex says, cheeks almost as red as her hair. 

Giving a warning glare to Lucy, Alex huffs and leaves the room after Kara, and Sara kicks her feet up on the now vacant desk chair. Maggie leans over to Lucy and whispers;

“Once she got past her nerves, you couldn’t tell she was a rookie.”

 

**_Maggie_ **

Stuffed to the brim with pizza, a new lull comes over the DEO. People go off on their own, preparing themselves, or accepting their fate. 

Maggie roams the halls; the restricted areas that she was never allowed near, the quiet offices, the armoury. She wanders for about an hour, thinking about her life, her memories, trying to crack her own head open and make sense of the mix of emotions swimming around inside. 

Finally, she makes her way back to the main room, which is almost entirely deserted. While it is an unspoken promise amongst the superfriends that they were camping at the DEO together, the rest of the staff and agents were free to go home to their families.

She heads towards the balcony, and as the chill of the night air brushes her face, she sees dozens of dark shadows swirling above. Some alight on the cement wall, and she sees them for what they are; black crows.

“What the fuck?” she whispers, getting a few feet closer to the birds. 

“Oh, I know,” a voice chimes. She jumps in surprise, spinning towards Sara Lance, who gives her a smug look. “It’s okay, detective. No need to get trigger happy.”

Maggie realises her hand is gripped around the gun tucked into her waistband. She had reached for it automatically.  _ A common cop reflex _ , she curses, fixing her jacket back over the gun. 

Sara slides her attention back to the dozens and dozens of birds circling above them silently. 

“I hate that movie,” Maggie says, forcing herself to be casual. “The Birds.”

“I hate Hitchcock.” Sara raises her hand to reveal a bottle of scotch. “Care to indulge?”

“You offering?”

“Sure. I’ve been enjoying a moment of complete sobriety right now,” she says, and then smirks. “I think it’s time that moment came to an end.”

She sets the scotch down on the concrete balcony wall, and Maggie catches sight of six empty shot glasses lined up and ready. She inches over, ignoring the tangents firing off inside her head. Sara Lance is exactly the kind of woman Maggie used to fear Alex would leave her for; blonde, confident, vivacious, and an assassin to boot. James confirming that they slept together shouldn’t cut her as deeply as it does, not when she has no reason to feel possessive over Alex. 

“How come you’re staying? Can’t you just hop on your ship and leave before the world goes up in smoke?” 

“Are you implying that I’m afraid of death? Because I’ve died before. It isn’t so bad.” Sara unscrews the lid of the scotch and starts to pour the amber liquid into the shot glasses. “Besides, this is one I wanna stick around for. See how it ends.”

Maggie suspects that a time traveller who brings back a weapon from the future in order to aid the present probably knows how this ends. But she just mumbles her thanks as a shot is nudged towards her, trusting her gut to keep quiet. 

Sara recaps the scotch, setting it down again. “What about you, Maggie? Why aren’t you off enjoying your last night of freedom?”

_ Because there is no where else I could be. _

“How do you even spend your last night alive?” 

“Well, hugging a bottle is one way.” Sara looks out across National City. “Or this city is full of warm bodies that you could enjoy yourself with.”

Footsteps come them from the left, and stop. The two women turn to see Alex with a perfect dear in the headlights expression. Maggie holds up the scotch in her glass, thinking  _ fuck it. _

“Care to join us?” she offers. “And all our crow friends?”

Alex hovers, suspicious, but eventually gives in to temptation. She takes a shot glass from Sara and watches the liquid as Maggie fills it up.

“This is either your worst nightmare or your secret fantasy, Alex,” Sara teases, the smug tone curling around the trio on the balcony. “Minus the birds, of course.”

“What are we drinking to?” Alex says, changing direction to the amusement of both the detective and assassin. 

“What do you want to drink to?” Sara responds, getting her own shot. “I’ll go first. To life and death.”

She knocks it back, and then nods at Alex, who takes a breath, and says, “To saving this big crazy world.”

“To the sapphic life, and ladies loving ladies,” Maggie says, finishing the triangle.

“Amen to that,” Sara says, and then locks eyes with Alex. “To loving the taste of scotch.”

Something in the way Alex reacts as if she wants the ground to swallow her whole makes Maggie’s skin prickle. There’s a story there, and she can’t get away from thoughts of sweaty flesh, gripped sheets and mouths curved around moans.

“To family and friends,” Alex mumbles, tipping back her shot. 

The black crows squawk around them, and her companions look up at them in disgust. Maggie frets, trying to find  _ something _ else to say. Nothing is coming to her except what is on the tip of her tongue. Nothing more sensible shifts it, and she takes the plunge; 

“To Gertrude,” she says, and then swallows down the scotch. 

Alex freezes as Maggie’s words slip through, and the drop in atmosphere only amuses Sara. 

“Lover?” she asks.

“Dog we were gonna get,” Alex croaks.

“What breed?”

Maggie and Alex answer at once-

“Husky-”

“German Shepherd-” 

Sara’s eyebrows twitch up in surprise. 

“I’m gonna-” Alex jerks her head and puts her shot glass on the wall. “Goodnight.”

Maggie watches Sara, watching Alex as she walks away. With a twinge of envy, her brain dusts off that possessiveness. 

“Speaking of hugging a warm body…” Sara murmurs, raising her shot to Maggie. “To sharing lovers.” 

A bitterness coming over her, Maggie grabs the scotch bottle and takes a longer swig, causing Sara to swing her attention back to her.  

“Yeah,” Maggie rasps, handing her the scotch back. “You should enjoy the small hours.”

Sara smirks. “I was talking about you two. Seems you have unfinished business, even though you’re pretending otherwise. The air was practically crackling out here.”

“You’re suggesting Alex and I hook up to play out the end of the world?” Maggie scoffs. 

“There are worse things you could be doing on the eve of the world’s end.” Sara swirls the scotch in the shot glass. “After all, what have you got to lose?”

As Sara downs her scotch, Maggie realises she has no answer.

 

**_Alex_ **

She stares at the ceiling panels, counting them, tracing them, over and over, until they become meaningless squares. 

Dread settles in the pit of her stomach. 

Dread at the thought of losing her loved ones tomorrow. 

Dread at the very thought of losing  _ her own _ life. 

Dread at seeing Maggie and Sara enjoying scotch together, enjoying each other’s company. 

Because isn’t that how Sara and she had started that night?

She closes her eyes. Maggie is free to spend her night however she wants. 

Alex only opens her eyes when she gets the feeling there is another person present, and she turns her head towards a figure in the doorway. Her mind short-circuits, the million questions cutting away into nothing. 

She scoots back on the cot, making room for the other person, and then lifts up the blankets. In the second it takes for them to close the door with a soft click and cross the lab floor, the cool air sends goosebumps across her body.

Maggie leans down to untie her boots, and then kicks them off. She eases onto the cot, facing Alex, whose heart is beating in her throat. 

They don’t speak, the hum of the monitors the only sound in the room. 

Alex lets her fingertips drift over Maggie’s lower lip, and it trembles in response. 

“Do you still love me?” Maggie whispers, her face awash in the blue glow from the computers around them. 

This vulnerable, pure side of Maggie was only shown when it was the two of them late at night, laying in the dark together. When they had formed a relationship of trust, when Maggie had let her walls down. 

Since their break-up, Alex has been so used to only dealing with daytime Maggie; the bravado and the leather. Seeing this openness again, being  _ let in _ again, closes her in a vice grip.  

“I think you know the answer,” she admits, voice equally as soft.  

Maggie takes the leap; brushes their lips together in a question. Alex answers, pressing back. 

And then they implode.

It’s lust and barely repressed  _ love _ to the point of desperation. It’s messy scotch-tainted kisses and clothes yanked off without care. At times, its borderline clumsy but its raw and exactly what they want. 

The army issue cot is not really fit for this purpose, but neither of them are paying much mind. The impending doom is replaced by desire, finesse by need. When all coherent thought disappears and makes way for breathy sighs, they tip off balance together.

The sound that Maggie makes when Alex shoves her thighs apart makes her grin, all teeth against olive skin.

And after, when she crawls back up the creaking cot, the world around them no longer exists. The amniotic blues of the lab and rhythmic bleep of the computers keep them here in each others’ arms. 

All she cares about is Maggie inside her, Maggie’s mouth against her neck, the taste of her still on her lips and tongue until the world whites out around them. 

Hours later, she wakes up with Maggie’s arm slung around her waist, and smiles sleepily. She cracks open an eye, expecting to focus on silky hair but instead focusing on the tattoo that has appeared on her own forearm. 

Her heart pounds. A black crow. 

She blinks and rubs it, but it’s permanent. It’s there. 

It’s a mark. 

It’s  _ the _ mark.

 

**_Kara_ **

When they wake in the morning, the sky is blood red, and it stays that way. Crows blacken the air above the DEO building, not a peep of sound from them. Their beady stares follow agents moving to and fro in the windows.

Kara doesn’t ask straight away, mostly because as soon as she sees the mark on Alex’s forearm, she has a meltdown. An  _ epic _ meltdown. She doesn’t believe it, and then she refuses to let Alex entertain the idea of going to fight. 

She finally has to admit defeat when J’onn hands Alex the sword and it  _ sings _ as she slices it through the air. Onlookers watch in awe as the red blade smokes into a charcoal colour, and the alloy is activated. The sheer ease in which Alex parries and spars proves that this was made for her. 

Alex jokes that both Danvers sisters now have some form of alien biology. Kara doesn’t laugh.

She isn’t happy that destiny has chosen her sister to face this apocalyptic threat. 

Regardless, Kara doesn’t ask, but she notices. 

She notices how Alex and Maggie’s icy distance has disappeared overnight. Warm affection is back in its rightful place; the smiles, the whispered jokes, a gentle hand on a bicep. She watches careful fingertips smoothing hair behind an ear, tightening straps on uniforms and vests. 

Blushing, shy, but always loving. 

Kara suspects they might be embarrassed at sleeping together- because there was no denying what happened when Kara peeked into Alex’s lab and saw them curled around each other in the cot. She also thinks they could be uncertain about what it means for them in the harsh light of day, but there are bigger priorities and they are clearly trying to savour what they can.  

Kara catches Sara watching the birds. “You knew, didn’t you? That they chose Alex.”

“I’m surprised it took you that long to realise it. Of course they would send the weapon to the one who sent the message. Not everything is as religious and spell-binding as you guys think,” Sara says, her lips curling into a smile. “Besides, I spent yesterday afternoon sparring with her. I thought Alex would be smart enough to work it out herself. Guess she got too distracted.” 

Sara is gone with a wink, leaving Kara looking up at the red sky. All over National City, people would be waking up in alarm at the natural phenomenon, with no idea of what it could mean for the future of their race.

Kara watches from the DEO steps as Alex retreats to the solitude of her lab. She takes the sword with her, and a few minutes later she is joined by J’onn. Maggie comes down the steps behind her. They all seem to float together this morning. 

“Hey. How are you holding up?” Maggie asks softly.

“I’m not exactly over the moon,” Kara replies, looking her up and down. “So you two…”

Maggie coughs at the unexpected shift. 

“Well, uh...”

She decides to save her. “You’ve got her back?”

The detective nods. “Like you even need to ask.”

“Detective Sawyer? If you would like to come with me,” J’onn booms from above, leaving the lab and already walking towards the armoury. Maggie ascends the rest of the steps and trails behind him in confusion. 

Kara can see Alex pacing the lab floor. She can’t resist the pull towards her sister, climbing the rest of the stairs and ducking inside. 

Alex wipes away her tears with the back of her knuckles and sniffs. “You all set, Supergirl?”

“I think you’re the supergirl today.”

“Maybe.” Alex flutters her hands around her waist. “Listen, Kara, if things go wrong…”

“No.” Kara holds up her palms. “We are not saying goodbye. We’re gonna win this.”

Alex stares at her boots, and Kara’s heart pangs at how unconvinced she looks. She turns away, looking out of the window and seeing James and Lucy talking on the opposite platform. She can hear them, if she tries, but decides to respect their moment. She waits for the cogs in Alex’s brain to stop turning, and when they do, the result is not what she expects; 

“You remember when I couldn’t come up with good enough vows because they just weren’t my thing? But every time I came up with a phrase or a line I actually liked, I’d write it down there and then?”

Kara faces her again, frowning at the sudden recollection. “Yeah, I think so.”

Alex takes a deep breath, finally raising her eyes from her boots. “In my office, in the desk drawer there’s a bunch of notes stapled together.” 

“You kept them?”

Kara remembers the scraps of paper, the backs of receipts, the stolen corners from her own reporter pad. Watching the concentration as Alex scored out and added and changed. By the time Maggie and Alex called it quits, there was a fistful of these ripped mementos, and Kara expected her to throw them away, embarrassed at how open her heart had been. 

But she was wrong.

Alex nods. “Give them to her? Even if we aren’t together, she needs to know how much she meant to me. How amazing she is.”   

“Alex-”

“And there’s something in there for you, too,” she rushes on. “When I first joined the DEO and knew how dangerous my job was, well I…” Alex braces her hands on her hips. “There’s a green box in that drawer, and it contains things that were yours in the event of my death-”

“ _ Alex _ ,” Kara chokes.

“Kara. Please. Just do that for me, will you? There’s a letter for mom as well. They’re all there in the drawer.”

Tears blur her vision, and they give in then, surging into a tight embrace. Kara can hear Alex’s heart pounding. After a few seconds, she hears the watch on Alex’s wrist, each tick mocking them. 

When they pull back, Alex moves to pick the sword up from where it was leaning against the wall. She sets her shoulders, and they lock into the anticipation. 

“One more thing,” she announces, moving for the door. 

Kara stands still. “Yes?”

Alex twists the blade that way and that, watching the light play on the dark metal. Kara can hear her heart thumping as she tries once, and then twice to get the words out. Finally, on the third attempt;  

“Don’t try to stop me.”

 

**_Clark_ **

He arrives later than he would have hoped, soaring through the red sky, and believes that the universe must be playing a cruel trick on them.

He cares a lot for both Danvers sisters, but he could never stand to see Kara upset; regardless of whether she was older or not. So when he catches her red-rimmed eyes, he embraces her tighter than usual. 

“I don’t want this, Clark,” she says. A plain, honest statement. 

“Neither do I, Kara. But this is out of our hands,” he says.

Her shoulders drop. “I spoke to Eliza this morning. I mean, I tried not to make it sound like goodbye, but I think she knew from my voice that we were about to face something really big. I don’t know if I could face her if…”  

Clark watches her eyes glaze over, thinking about her adopted sister dying, just like Kara’s whole family on Krypton. He never knew the horror of losing everyone like that, being sent away when he was just a baby. 

“Don’t think about that now.” 

He tips her chin up, and she manages to brighten just a smidge.  

“I’ll meet you up on the helipad,” he says, putting his hand on Kara’s shoulder. “I want to talk to Alex first.” 

He catches Alex and Maggie entangled in each other, foreheads together, in a crook that offshoots from the situation room. He averts his gaze and coughs, and the two stumble apart. Maggie purses her lips and points over Clark’s shoulder. 

“I have something to go get before um…” She hurries past him, mumbling a quick greeting.   

“Hello Alex.”

“Hey Clark,” she replies, a little flushed, though whether it is from stealing kisses before he caught them or the bashfulness, he can’t tell. 

“Did you speak to Eliza?”

Alex grows somber. “Yeah. I didn’t tell her anything about today.”

“Maybe that’s the right way to go about it.” He nods to the sword. “May I?”

She hands it over to him, and he studies the grey blade. He has known Alex long enough- known the Danvers family long enough- to know that she is a worthy champion. 

“I need you to make me a promise. If things go badly, or if there’s a  _ sacrifice _ to be made,” Alex starts, taking back the blade as its given to her. “I need you to hold Kara back. Keep her away from the danger. You’re the only one strong enough.”

“Alex…”

“Please,” she pleads. “Don’t let her get hurt or reckless. Don’t let her blow out her powers.”

“I won’t,” he says, conceding.  _ But I hope it won’t come to that.  _ “Can I see the mark?”

Alex puts the blade down, and then rolls up her sleeve. The tattoo is a crow unfurling its swings, ready for flight. It is stark against the pale flesh of the inside of her forearm. An odd premonition for death, he suspects, but doesn’t say it aloud. He smooths a thumb over the mark, thinking about the alien DNA markers racing in Alex’s bloodstream.

It explains the presence of hundreds of the black birds circling and settling around the DEO building. 

“How do you do it, Clark?” she asks, not looking up from the black crow tattoo. 

“I don’t think my reasons should be the same as yours.”

“I feel so unprepared for this.” 

“No hero feels prepared. That’s why their deeds are so heroic. Their tasks may seem insurmountable to some, but they conquer their fears, and they can overcome anything.”

“Did you read that from a fortune cookie?” Maggie complains, swaggering up to stand beside them. Her hand alights on Alex’s elbow. “Everyone’s ready to head out.”

“Will you come with us?” Alex asks, finally looking up from her mark at the other woman. 

Clark hears the hidden vulnerability underneath;  _ will you be with me? _

“Well, I can’t swing swords like I’m auditioning for Game of Thrones, but…” Maggie pivoted, showcasing the large gun strapped to her back. “I sweet talked J’onn into giving me one of these when we went to the armoury.”

He watches how gentle Alex’s hand is as it reaches out to stroke along the gun, as if it were an easily scared mare. He never could understand man’s fascination with weaponry. Though when he sees the women’s eyes meet in silent communication, he realises the affection was not for a gun, but for a lover.

“J’onn is letting you out with one of those without proper clearance?” Alex steps back. “It really must be the end of the world.”

A figure appears, dressed in black and also sporting a large tactical gun on her back. 

“Lucy,” he greets.

“Clark.” She nods sharply, and then gives Alex an apologetic look. “It’s time.”

He shares the elevator to the helipad with Maggie and Alex, and when the doors seal them in, he can hear how fast their hearts are beating. As subtle as they try to be, he catches Maggie reaching over to lace her fingers through Alex’s, and Alex squeezing back in reassurance. 

The elevator door slides open, and Clark steps forward, but Alex doesn’t move. Maggie looks at her in question. 

“Alex?”

Alex tilts her head, turning to face the other woman before speaking.

“You think Gertrude could have been a golden retriever?” 

Maggie chuckles. “Shut the hell up, Danvers.”

Alex beams, and together, they walk out onto the helipad.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Aka; Alex Danvers being the chosen one for once, and ends up being a heroic mess.
> 
> There is a companion-ish, sequel-ish fic that goes along with this, if anyone is interested in that. Let me know what you all think.


End file.
